Black Arrow
Black Arrow (real name Crystal Cage) is a member of the 2021 Team. She is the adopted daughter of Oliver Queen and Dinah Lance. Personality Crystal is a very sweet natured girl who is normally the type that people warm up to quite well. Whenever she meets someone knew she will most likely be very friendly and open from the start: a quality that she received from her mother. She never really seemed to have many problems regarding other peoples thoughts of her, nor never really seemed to let much get her down. She just always pushes right through it and keeps her positive outlook of things. Now, this isn't to say that she won't do what needs to be done whenever the situation arises. No, whenever she needs to get something done, she does it if she knows that it is the right thing to do. Now, this quality of her personality wasn't something that she received. No, it was something that she taught to herself, something that was drilled into her thoughts over and over again, and on occasion, this part of her has had to show itself in the most dire of times. No, when times like these come, she seems to have no mercy, not real feeling anything depending on the situation. This is a side of her that most people don't always like to see, a side of her that scares most. But it seems that the emotion is gone just as soon as it arrives, leaving her to be that kind person once again. Now, she can be quite mischievous at times, something that she received from her father. She'll be the one that sometimes likes to play the occasional prank whenever the mood needs lifting or the time is right, and often gets into trouble more often than not, though she doesn't exactly mean to. It is not known for certain though if she has gone as far as killing yet, though it is known that she has come pretty close. Crystal's temper is something that makes her pretty noticeable, for she does not take kindly to any sort of threat to her or any loved one she has. If you dare to take a step in that direction than you better be careful, for she can be on you in a heartbeat. The only thing with this though is that despite the fact that her temper can be something to be feared, it can also be her weakness, for whenever she is angry, she normally doesn't think much before doing, so it's not a very loved part of her personality to her. Physical Appearance Crystal is small, five one at best, but curvy (thick if you say) and it's obvious she's fit. She has thick thighs, wide hips, defined abdomen, full chest. Her skin is light brown, being a girl of Puerto Rican origins. She has round cheeks, large hazel eyes with thick dark lashes, dimples in her cheeks, freckles going over her entire face. Crystal has goldish brown hair, and it is long and bright and unruly it falls to her chest in curls. Crystal tends to be pretty low-key regarding hair and makeup; she rarely wears makeup (her mask covers her face so what's the point?), and she's too impatient to try to tame her mess of curls. People consider beautiful, but there's something about her that makes her seem fierce. Biography Powers and Abilities * Marksmanship: She has perfect eyesight, a steady hand, and that instinct of knowing just when to shoot. She excels with bows and guns. She can hit the bulls-eye 47 out of 50 times. Her skill extends to throwing knives and Shurikens. * Improvisation: Crystal isn't used to bothering with things like plans, and tends to make things up on the go. The closest she'll come to a plan is deciding which member of a group to deal with first, or which entrance to use to enter a building. While this can sometimes get her into trouble, it has taught her to adapt, and she can respond to a change in circumstances very well. Mixed Martial Artist: * Kick Boxing: The focus on kickboxing primarily focused on creating body strength (in legs and arms) and taught Crystal a multitude of moves in punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and basic defense. She is quite proficient in knee and elbow strikes (such as straight knee thrusts) and the basic defense moves, such as slipping, bobbing and weaving, and blocking. She also learned her uppercuts, hooks, and cross-counters (which have proved very useful on many occasions) for her upper body and hook kicks, sweeps, and roundhouse kicks for her lower body. Kickboxing was primarily used to teach Crystal strength and strikes, which is what she has continued to use it for. * Judo: ''' Due to judo having a few of the same moves at kickboxing, she excelled well in atemi-waza (or body-striking techniques) but judo was used for her to learn nage-waza (throwing techniques) and katame-waza (grappling techniques), both of which being exceptionally useful in duties. She has primarily used throwing techniques to toss her opponents and disorient them while using the grappling techniques to pin and sweep. This skill is primarily used for winning hand-to-hand fights. * '''Anything's A Weapon: Although she doesn't often use melee weapons, Crystal is proficient in their use and has mastered some. She is not as skilled as her mother in large melee weapons, but has trained to a near-master level with knives. * Parlez-vous français?: Crystal is fluent in French, Spanish, German, Russian, and Italian. She can carry a very basic conversation in a few other languages, but not enough to consider her lingual. * Ambidextrous: Crystal taught herself to use both of her hands; so that she could still fight even if one of her hands or arms was broken. She wields her bow in either hand, but she has a preference for her right hand, which is the hand she has been using since she was born. * Skilled Acrobat: Crystal has undergone intense physical training in the field of acrobatics in order to sustain an agile build as a costumed crime-fighter. Despite the passing of time and less acrobatic proficiency compared to expert aerialists such as Nightwing, a constant and intense physical training regimen has provided the young archer with ample acrobatic ability. Black Arrow is able to perform a variety of gymnastic maneuvers, ranging from handsprings on the ground to somersaults in the air. She has even performed the latter feat while shooting arrows with impeccable accuracy, demonstrating her status as both a skilled archer and acrobat. * Ballet: Crystal started ballet when she was young and had a real passion for it. It was something creative that she found a lot of joy in. It was a hobby that she could simply enjoy, and Crystal found a lot of freedom and enjoyment throughout the years. It was a way to celebrate her feminity in a world full of men - and she has always regretted giving it up after being a hero full time. It came down to a choice, in terms of a limited amount of hours in the day. But to this day, dancing is still something she is very good at and enjoys during that strange phenomenon of 'free time'. Intelligence: While not a genius, Crystal does have above-average intelligence in a few choice areas (don't confuse this type of intelligence with school intelligence). She excels in the following areas with this above average intelligence: * Arrow Tech: She has been involved in creating her own arrow and arrow tech since she was young, taught by her mother while she was creating her own "trick arrows" (arrows which Crystal herself finds rather useless). Due to Ollie & Roy, she has studied how to make arrows, how to streamline arrows, what kind of arrows work and which don't. She's very good at it and also finds pleasure in the creation of them. * Escapology: Being groomed to be a future superhero also comes with a few stipulations – one being trained to escape almost any situation. She is skilled at escaping – she can get out of handcuffs, pick locks, and more. While she's strong, she doesn't have super strength, so anything she gets through is purely based on her lock-picking skills and smarts. Equipment Costume: Crystal's suit, while looking to be made of leather, is in fact made from a mix of triple-weave Kevlar and Nomex. The Kevlar is designed to stop small caliber projectiles as well as dampen the effect of blunt force weapons. The Nomex makes the suit flame retardant and is just a added safety feature more than anything else. Overall the suit is split into sections for ease of movement as well as donning and doffing. The top coat is all black with a zip up front, a black hood that can be raised when needed or just left hanging and topped off with a dark red arrow symbol. The pants are simple and it's topped off with custom combat boots made of the same materials used in structural fire fighting boots. This includes a composite shank in the insole, a composite toe cap and Crosstech moisture barrier. All of this is topped off with a black domino mask to help conceal his identity. Throwing Knives-''' Crystal utilizes top-of-the-line throwing knives that have small groves filled with mercury that provide steadier flight when thrown. '''Custom Collapsible Bow: A bow given to Crystal by her father made of high grade, carbon fiber. The bow is collapsible and can fit inside a suitcase for easy transport or hiding. On top of that, it is made from high grade materials and can double as a melee weapon without risk of breaking or damage. Couple that with the high grade, high tensile string, and this bow is one deadly piece of equipment. Quiver: A standard quiver that is used to hold Crystal's many arrows. Trick Arrows: * STANDARD ARROWS— - 'Crystal's quiver is stocked with multiple standard arrows with wooden shafts, plastic green fletchings, and green, metallic arrowheads. * '''EXPLOSIVE ARROW— - '''Arrows equipped with an explosive arrowhead, these dangerous projectiles come in two forms: impact and time-delayed. While the former explosive arrows erupt instantly after the arrowhead makes contact, the latter remain on or within their target for a few seconds before detonation. These weapons are particularly useful against major threats or solid obstacles. * '''COUNTDOWN EXPLOSIVE ARROW— - '''The countdown explosive arrow is nearly identical to the aforementioned explosive arrow, specifically the time-delayed version of the projectile. However, the difference between the trick arrows is that the countdown explosive arrows harbor a standard arrowhead, and store their explosives within a rectangular countdown timer just below the arrow's arrowhead. The timer can be set for up to twenty four hours; the explosive will not detonate until the timer reaches 00:00. * '''TASER ARROW— - '''The taser arrow is exactly what its name implies: an arrow with a taser arrowhead. Upon the customized arrowhead's contact with a target, the device will administer an electric shock that is sufficient to incapacitate an ordinary human and impair any other target sensitive to electricity. * '''FLASH GRENADE ARROW— -' As an alternative to flashbang grenades, Black Arrow opts to stick to her "father's" theme of archery by integrating flashbang technology to her arrows. The result is the flash grenade arrow, which releases a bright flash from its arrowhead upon contact to any surface or after a few seconds following release. The trick arrow temporarily disorients the visual senses of those who witness the emitted flash, especially if their eyes are sensitive to bright light. * 'FOAM ARROW— -' Upon impact, Black Arrow's foam arrows release a pink, high-density, polyurethane foam that expands to engulf a substantial area. This unique foam cannot be compromised by any level of human strength as well as lower degrees of superhuman strength, making it perfect for restraining targets. Alternatively, the released substance can act as a cushion to prevent harsh landings from great heights. * 'BOLA ARROW— -' The bola arrows are equipped with a wind-up mechanism just below the arrowhead, along with a pair of green balls that are situated onto the shaft with an adhesive. After the arrow travels for a few feet following ejection, the twin spheres overcome the adhesive and fling themselves toward the target with their binding cables. Due to the special material with which they are made, the cables cannot be compromised by human strength or standard cutting tools such as saws or scissors. * 'NET ARROW— -' Alternatives to bola arrows, these arrows also serve the purpose of restraining targets. When Green Arrow is out of bola arrows or does not require more restricting forms of apprehension, he will not hesitate to loosen these arrows toward his adversaries. After traveling a few feet, these projectiles will eject their arrowheads before expanding to release a large net at their target. Though the nets can easily be cut, it is still very difficult to escape them if you are the one that has been ensnared by the net. * 'ZIP-LINE ARROW— -' Black Arrow's zip-line arrow is accompanied by an extensive cable with a device at its end in the form of a miniature staff. Once the single button on this device is pressed, another arrow with a shorter cable will be ejected toward its pointed direction, thereby piercing the targeted structure and acting as an anchor for the zip-line. Afterwards, the zip-line arrow is loosened with its attached cable toward a structure of lower altitude, creating the zip-line that Black Arrow will descend on with her bow after the arrow has pierced its mark. * 'TRACER ARROW— -' The tracer arrow conceals a miniature tracer within its customized arrowhead, one that can be tracked by a separate, handheld tracking device in Black Arrow's possession. The arrowhead will stick to its stricken surface and permit the young archer to track the object that the arrow has attached itself onto. The tracer arrow is also able to launch its tracer after a few seconds of air time, should the target be a greater distance away. Alternatively, the tracer can be manually deployed by physically striking an opponent or object with the arrow, thus placing the tracer onto the target. The range of Arrow's tracers are approximately 15 miles, meaning the distance between the tracer and Arrow's tracking device can reach up to 15 miles before the connection is severed. * 'SMOKE SCREEN ARROW— -' The smoke screen arrow is one of Black Arrow's most useful arrows, mainly because it allows the archer to flee risky situations and inhibit the vision of his targets. The arrowhead of this particular trick arrow releases a thick, gaseous substance that is able to consume a vast area and remain within the air for a convenient amount of time. * 'KNOCK-OUT GAS ARROW— -' Unlike the smoke screen arrow, which functions as an visual inhibitor to those within its vicinity, the knock-out gas arrow ejects a sufficient amount of anesthetic to subject those within its vicinity to a temporary sleep. The range of the emitted gas can be adjusted to release from a small blast of knock-out gas to a greater dose of the sleeping agent. Although there are multiple factors that determine how long the target will be rendered asleep, the average duration for a human is 30 minutes. * 'SUPERSONIC ARROW— -' A trick arrow that emits a high frequency, supersonic screech, reminiscent of her adoptive mother, Black Canary's signature Canary Cry. It serves as an excellent distraction as well as an effective inhibitor against Arrow's enemies. The supersonic arrow is always accompanied by a special set of earplugs that prevent Black Arrow from suffering the same pain that his adversaries do. '''Smoke / Gas Bombs: While she tends to favor her arrows more often than not, she still carries sets of smoke and gas bombs on the off chance he cannot access her arrows when she needs them. Relationships Oliver Queen: Dinah Lance: Roy Harper/Roy Harper Clone: Artemis: Jace Cage: Appearances